System and method for a semantically-driven smart data cache

ABSTRACT

An embodiment of the disclosure provides a method of integrating data across multiple data stores in a smart cache in order to provide data to one or more recipient systems. The method includes automatically ingesting diverse data from multiple data sources, automatically reconciling the ingested diverse data by updating semantic models based on the ingested diverse data, storing the ingested diverse data based on one or more classification of the data sources according to the semantic models, automatically generating scalable service endpoints which are semantically consistent according to the classification of the data sources, and responding to a call from the one or more recipient systems by providing data in the classification of the data sources.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.62/382,421, filed on Sep. 1, 2016, which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Enterprise systems include servers, storage and associated softwaredeployed in a large scale that may serve as an information technologyinfrastructure for businesses, governments, or other largeorganizations. Enterprise systems manage large volumes of data and aredesigned to offer and provide high levels of transaction performance anddata security. These systems are also designed to support businessprocesses, information flows, data analytics, and other functions.Enterprise systems include various individual system assets andresources. In the age of complexity of information, enterprise systemsmanage myriad data sources containing simple flat files and relationaldatabases to unstructured and geo-spatial data. This, in turn, increasescomplexity of providing access to diverse data sources to consumingapplications.

BRIEF SUMMARY

An embodiment of the disclosure provides a method of integrating dataacross multiple data stores in a smart cache in order to provide data toone or more recipient systems. The method includes automaticallyingesting diverse data from a plurality of data sources, automaticallyreconciling the ingested diverse data by updating semantic models basedon the ingested diverse data, storing the ingested diverse data based onone or more classification of the data sources according to the semanticmodels, automatically generating scalable service endpoints which aresemantically consistent according to the classification of the datasources, and responding to a call from the one or more recipient systemsby providing data in the classification of the data sources.

Another embodiment of the disclosure provides a non-transitory computerreadable medium for integrating data across multiple data stores in asmart cache in order to provide data to one or more recipient systems.The non-transitory computer readable medium contains programinstructions for causing a server to perform the method including:automatically ingesting diverse data from a plurality of data sources,automatically reconciling the ingested diverse data by updating semanticmodels based on the ingested diverse data, storing the ingested diversedata based on one or more classification of the data sources accordingto the semantic models, automatically generating scalable serviceendpoints which are semantically consistent according to theclassification of the data sources, and responding to a call from theone or more recipient systems by providing data in the classification ofthe data sources.

Yet another embodiment of the disclosure provides a system forintegrating data across multiple data stores in a smart cache in orderto provide data to one or more recipient systems. The system includesone or more databases storing semantic models and machine learningalgorithms and one or more servers. The servers are configured to:automatically ingest diverse data from a plurality of data sources andautomatically reconcile the ingested diverse data by performing one ormore of: (a) updating semantic models based on the ingested diversedata, (b) structuring the ingested diverse data, wherein the structuringcomprises realigning and reformatting data elements in the ingesteddiverse data into a standardized representation based on the semanticmodels, and (c) organizing the ingested diverse data, wherein theorganizing comprises aligning the ingested diverse data to multiplestructures within the semantic models. The servers are furtherconfigured to: store the ingested diverse data based on one or moreclassification of the data sources according to the semantic models,automatically generate scalable service endpoints which are semanticallyconsistent according to the classification of the data sources, andrespond to a call from the one or more recipient systems by providingdata in the classification of the data sources.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a system level diagram showing various components ofa semantically driven smart cache according to some embodiments of thedisclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates a system utilizing a smart cache according to anembodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates components of a server according to an embodiment ofthe disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates an example flow diagram showing steps taken by thesmart cache when a change occurs in a data store;

FIG. 5 illustrates an example flow diagram showing steps for interfacingwith a smart cache;

FIG. 6 illustrates a high level flow diagram of activities of a smartcache system in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure; and

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a smart cache system being used in ahealthcare environment in accordance with some embodiments of thedisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Data access and data integration industries do not currently haveeffective ways to virtualize data saved in multiple different datastores and service the data to data customers. Embodiments of thedisclosure provide methods and systems whereby data and associatedmetadata are obtained from multiple data sources and then mapped to asemantic model. After mapping the data to some semantic model, the datais stored in an efficient manner in a smart cache based on a meaningascribed to the data through the semantic model. The semantic modelprovides semantic meaning for the data either directly or via aninterface or data model. Access points, for example, applicationprogramming interfaces, are generated so that internal or externalcustomers and applications can access some form and subset of the datathat has been collected from the multiple data sources. An access pointincludes any interface or means by which data in the smart cache isaccessed. These access points or application programming interfacesremain stable as long as the source data remains stable.

Embodiments of the disclosure provide systems and methods to achievesimplified data consumption of information across multiple disparatedata sources by providing an intelligent or smart data service thatunderstands data requests from applications and coordinates with abroker to respond back with relevant data results. By simplifying thetask for the consuming applications, much more rapid innovation isenabled. By automating the creating and maintenance of the smart cacheitself, human error and effort is taken out of the equation and a vasterarray of data sources can be collated as data sources for the smartcache. For example, in a software development project, one of the mostcumbersome activities to perform is getting to specific data needed. Thetasks involved in reaching the data are routine but require greateffort. Using the smart cache to ease the activity of obtaining thespecific data needed means software development resources may beredirected to focus on innovation.

As such, embodiments of the disclosure provide a semantically drivensmart cache that automatically ingests diverse data sources and rendersthe composite result as a set of defined, stable and scalable serviceendpoints, without requiring changes in the original data sources. Onevalue of such a cache is smart disintermediation between data sourcesand data consumers, in a loosely coupled and scalable fashion and withsupport for multi-speed IT (information technology) through easyharnessing and leveraging of existing data. Multi-speed IT presents achallenge of having different portions of an IT ecosystem evolve atdifferent speeds without having an adverse impact on the rest of theecosystem.

The smart cache in the disclosure is an intermediary between multipledisparate data sources and recipient systems that seek access tospecific data within the data sources. The smart cache system canautomatically ingest and semantically categorize existing diverse datasources. The smart cache also performs automated structuring,organization, and optimization of the ingested data based on semanticunderstanding of same or similar data elements. The algorithms used forthe automated structuring, organizing, and optimization may becontinuously optimized using machine learning techniques. The smartcache may then perform automated generation of scalable serviceendpoints which are semantically consistent. In some cases, as long asthe ingested sources remain semantically stable, the generated scalableendpoints are stable.

The smart cache achieves automated structuring by realignment andreformatting data elements from a data source into a standardizedrepresentation of the data based on its semantic relationship to asubject area and a metadata defined model of the standard representationof that subject area. This allows the data to be viewed and combined ina consistent way across multiple data sources regardless of a format ofthe source data.

The smart cache achieves automated organization by alignment of thesource data to relevant subject areas within the smart cache. Since datasources can potentially provide data about multiple subject areas in asingle feed, there is often a need to align the data to multiplestructures. Organizing the source data in this way ensures that the dataor record is accessible in all relevant contexts identified by metadataidentifying subject areas or data classes within the semantic model.

The smart cache achieves automated optimization by preparing the cacheddata to meet the usage needs of the consuming applications and users asefficiently as possible. Optimization begins with structuring andorganizing, as previously described; and in addition to these steps,optimization also includes monitoring cached data usage and caching newrepresentations of the cached data as needed to improve performanceand/or throughput for higher demand or highly complex views.

FIG. 1 illustrates a system level diagram showing various components ofa semantically driven smart cache 104 according to some embodiments ofthe disclosure. The smart cache 104 interfaces with data sources 102 andrecipient systems 116. Data sources 102 may contain one or more storageunits or databases identified as data source 1 102-1 through data sourceN 102-N. Recipient systems 116 may be one or more computer devices, forexample, desktop computers, laptop computers, smartphones, servers, etc.Recipient systems 116 is depicted in FIG. 1 to include recipient system1 116-1 through recipient system L 116-L.

Data sources 102 store various types/kinds of data. The data stored indata sources 102 may be working data, location data, customer or memberidentification data, etc. Not shown in FIG. 1 is the path for storing,removing, and replacing data stored in data sources 102. It is assumedthat data sources 102 interfaces with other systems that rely on datasources 102 as long term or short term data repository.

Recipient systems 116 request specific data stored in data sources 102through smart cache 104. Recipient systems 116 run applications thatutilize the requested specific data. Smart cache 104 serves as anintermediary between data sources 102 and recipient systems 116.

Smart cache 104 includes a smart ingestion engine 106, a semanticmapping engine 108, a machine learning algorithms depository 110, a selfor auto-optimized heterogeneous persistence container 112 (persistencecontainer 112), and an intelligent or smart data service generator 114.

The smart ingestion engine 106 of the smart cache 104 is responsible forunderstanding diverse data sources, extracting metadata, and dynamicallyingesting the metadata into the persistence container 112 based on atrigger from data sources 102. A trigger may be defined as a change indata sources 102, that is, for example, when new data is added to datasources 102, when a new data source N is added to data source 102, whendata is removed from data sources 102, when a data source N is removedfrom data source 102, and when new data replaces old data in datasources 102.

The persistence container 112 holds or stores metadata about underlyingdata stored in the data sources 102. The persistence container 112 alsostores the underlying data in addition to the metadata about theunderlying data. In another embodiment, the persistence container 112only stores metadata about underlying data stored in the data sources102, and when data is being retrieved, pass through queries may be usedto retrieve data from the data sources 102.

The semantic mapping engine 108 connects underlying data to a derivedcontext. Semantic mapping may be accomplished through a combination ofschema or metadata obtained from the smart ingestion engine 106,ontology that has been created and updated by the smart cache 104, andunderstanding of semantic distance or semantic similarity of data usingmachine learning algorithms 110. The semantic mapping engine 108dynamically builds semantic models with new or updated data sources byapplying machine learning algorithms to cluster and classify incomingnew schema. In some embodiments, in order to update the semantic model,the semantic mapping engine 108 will run Support Vector Machine (SVM)algorithm to build a linear classification model that assigns new schemato one or more of the ontological concepts in the semantic model.

The intelligent or smart data service generator 114 (service generator114) coordinates with applications running on recipient systems 116, thepersistence container 112, and the semantic mapping engine 108 togenerate data service interfaces, get and pass requests, and dispatchcontextual responses to the applications.

FIG. 2 illustrates a system utilizing a smart cache according to anembodiment of the disclosure. Smart cache 204 contains similarcomponents with structure and functions similar to that of FIG. 1.Enterprise container 202 contains different types of data sourcesincluding relational data 202-1, unstructured data 202-2, columnar data202-3, geospatial data 202-4, and key-value store 202-5. Enterprisecontainer 202 is shown in this example to be organized by asemantic/contextual grouping for clarity. The physical server(s) ordatabase(s) holding the data sources need not be organized separately asshown. That is, a server or database may store heterogeneous data, forexample, geospatial data and key-value data may be stored on the sameserver. Smart ingestion engine 206, semantic mapping engine 208, machinelearning algorithms 210, persistence container 212, and servicegenerator 214 have similar functions as their counterparts described inFIG. 1.

Each of the smart ingestion engine 206, semantic mapping engine 208,machine learning algorithms 210, persistence container 212, and servicegenerator 214 may be implemented as software instructions stored in amemory and executed by a processor, such as the memory 304 and processor302 in FIG. 3.

FIG. 3 illustrates components of a server 300 according to an embodimentof the disclosure. The server 300 may include one or more processors302, memory 304, network interfaces 306, and storage devices 308.Although not explicitly shown in FIG. 3, each component provided isinterconnected physically, communicatively, and/or operatively forinter-component communications in order to realize functionalityascribed to the server 300. To simplify the discussion, the singularform will be used for all components identified in FIG. 3 whenappropriate, but the use of the singular does not limit the discussionto only one of each component. For example, multiple processors mayimplement functionality attributed to processor 302.

Processor 302 is configured to implement functions and/or processinstructions for execution within server 300. For example, processor 302executes instructions stored in memory 304 or instructions stored on astorage device 308. In certain embodiments, instructions stored onstorage device 308 are transferred to memory 304 for execution atprocessor 302. Memory 304, which may be a non-transient,computer-readable storage medium, is configured to store informationwithin server 300 during operation. In some embodiments, memory 304includes a temporary memory that does not retain information stored whenthe server 300 is turned off. Examples of such temporary memory includevolatile memories such as random access memories (RAM), dynamic randomaccess memories (DRAM), and static random access memories (SRAM). Memory304 also maintains program instructions for execution by the processor302 and serves as a conduit for other storage devices (internal orexternal) coupled to server 300 to gain access to processor 302.

Storage device 308 includes one or more non-transient computer-readablestorage media. Storage device 308 is provided to store larger amounts ofinformation than memory 304, and in some instances, configured forlong-term storage of information. In some embodiments, the storagedevice 308 includes non-volatile storage elements. Non-limiting examplesof non-volatile storage elements include floppy discs, flash memories,magnetic hard discs, optical discs, solid state drives, or forms ofelectrically programmable memories (EPROM) or electrically erasable andprogrammable (EEPROM) memories.

Network interfaces 306 are used to communicate with external devicesand/or servers. The server 300 may include multiple network interfaces306 to facilitate communication via multiple types of networks. Networkinterfaces 306 may include network interface cards, such as Ethernetcards, optical transceivers, radio frequency transceivers, or any othertype of device that can send and receive information. Non-limitingexamples of network interfaces 306 include radios compatible withseveral Wi-Fi standards, 3G, 4G, Long-Term Evolution (LTE), Bluetooth®,etc.

The hardware components described thus far for server 300 arefunctionally and communicatively coupled to achieve certain behaviors.In some embodiments, these behaviors are controlled by software runningon an operating system of server 300. Recipient systems 216 andenterprise container 202 may include one or more computer devicessimilar to server 300.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example process 400 showing steps taken by thesmart cache 104 when a change occurs in data sources 102. At step 402,the smart cache 104 determines that a change has been made to underlyingdata sources 102. A change in the underlying data sources 102 includes,for example, adding a data source Y to data sources 102, removing a datasource X from data sources 102, adding new data to data source 1 102-1,removing old data from data source 1 102-1, and updating old data fromdata source 1 102-1 with new data. The change in the underlying datasources 102 is communicated to the smart cache 104 through inspection ofingested data, through human trigger, or through automated feed from theunderlying data sources 102.

At step 404, in response to the change in the underlying data sources102, the smart cache 104 ingests schema and data with the smartingestion engine 106. The schema relating to the data may be provided aspart of the ingest or may be inferred from the data.

At step 406, the smart cache 104 reconciles the schema (or metadata) atstep 404 with a semantic model utilizing the semantic mapping engine108. Based on syntactic and semantic equivalence, the semantic mappingengine 108 will match and map the schema to the current semanticsconcepts of smart cache 104. Semantics concepts is a broad descriptionthat includes classes or elements of the semantic model. If syntacticand semantic equivalence mapping fails, the semantic mapping engine 108will run machine learning algorithms from the machine learningalgorithms depository 110 to classify the new schema with existingsemantic model. In some embodiments, if classification through machinelearning algorithms also fails, the semantic mapping engine 108 willautomatically create new concepts in the ontology for the schema (ormetadata) elements from the newly changed data that cannot be reconciledwith existing ontology. Reconciling at step 406, thus, includesautomatically structuring the data to adhere to a standardrepresentation of the existing semantic model. Reconciling also includesautomatically organizing the data to align the data to more than onedata class within the existing semantic model when applicable. Theautomatically structuring and the automatically organizing may beimproved through machine learning algorithms.

At step 408, once schema or metadata is updated and reconciled withexisting semantic model, the change is reflected in persistencecontainer 112. For example, if new data is added to data sources 102 andthe smart cache 104 determines that the new data has been added, thenthe new data is ingested at step 404 and reconciled at step 406. After aschema is determined and a semantic model confirmed for the new data,the new data will be stored in the persistence container 112. Thepersistence container 112 stores the new data depending on type of databased on the semantic model of the data. That is, the persistencecontainer 112 will merge the new data with data store of similar type.The persistence container 112 is organized to store data in relation tothe different parts of the semantic model. That is, the persistencecontainer 112 can take new data that has been classified based on asemantic model and add it to the set of data it already has associatedwith the specific data class. The persistence container 112 relatesvarious data and stores them together physically. Ingested data is thusassociated to a class in the semantic model. The persistence container112 further merges semantic characteristics of the new data it receiveswith the semantic characteristics of the data it already has.

At step 410, the smart cache 104 generates data services and interfacesusing the service generator 114. After step 408, the service generator114 accesses the semantic model associated with the change at step 402to intelligently generate data services that expose not only keyentities in a data store, but also semantically related entities inother data stores in the persistence container 112. In other words, theservice generator 114 takes the semantic model and asks the persistencecontainer 112 for all the data associated with a specific semanticentity. Afterwards, the service generator 114, with an overview of alldata associated with the specific semantic entity, generates anautomated service entity that gives access to as much of the overviewdata that is relevant in the context of the semantic model. In someembodiments, the service generator 114 can generate the automatedservice entity that gives access to data that has been designated by anadministrator as relevant under the specific semantic entity. A serviceis defined as an integration point that represents the contract of “ifyou give me data X, then I will give you data Y.” The output of thisflow is generated data services.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example flow diagram showing steps for interfacingwith a smart cache 104. At step 502, the smart cache 104 receives arequest from a recipient system 116. The request may be an incomingrequest uniform resource locator (URL). The service endpoint determinesthe protocol supported by the smart cache 104, for example, URL is ahypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) example, but another service endpointmay support file based, wire protocol, or IBM MQ. After the request isreceived from the recipient system 116, at step 504, the servicegenerator 114 will use pre-generated data services to find a service toperform necessary functions in response to the request. That is, at step504, the service generator 114 processes the request with pre-generatedservices. At step 506, the service generator 114 returns results to therecipient system 116 in response to the request. The results returnedincludes data in response to the request or service call.

FIG. 6 illustrates a high level flow diagram of activities of a smartcache system 204 in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure.At step 602, data is added, updated, or removed from enterprisecontainer 202.

At step 604, in response to data being added, updated, or removed fromthe enterprise container 202, the smart ingestion engine 206 istriggered to ingest new or updated schema and data or remove schema anddata from the persistence container 212.

At step 606, the semantic mapping engine 208 matches, maps, andreconciles incoming schema or metadata with existing semantic model. Inthe case of adding or updating data in the enterprise container 202, ifno semantic model exists, the smart ingestion engine 206 will create anew semantic model from the first data store that gets added to thepersistence container 212.

At step 608, the service generator 214 generates appropriate interfacesand intelligently maintains compatibility of the interfaces until changein underlying data forces a break.

At step 610, the service generator 214 receives a request from aconsuming application running on a recipient system 216. The servicegenerator 214 invokes a pre-generated service interface to process andsend back results to the calling application.

The smart cache 204 automatically optimizes cached data to meet usageneeds of the consuming application running on the recipient system 216.The smart cache 204 monitors usage of the cached data and caches newrepresentations of the cached data as needed to improve performanceand/or throughput for higher demand or highly complex views. Theautomatically optimizing may be improved through machine learningalgorithms.

The high level flow depicted in FIG. 6 may be further described in lowlevel system flows. Depending on whether adding, updating, or removingdata or a data source from enterprise container 202, steps 602, 604,606, 608, and 610 may follow one or more embodiments described below.

In one embodiment, data and data sources can be added to the smart cache204 as described below. The low level system flow described below maycorrespond to steps 602, 604, and 606.

The input is address of data source and schema or metadata for the datasource. The process logic involves ingesting schema of data source. Thesystem will extract schema or metadata of objects in the data storebeing ingested. Due to syntactic, structural and representationalheterogeneity of the schemas, the extracted schema or metadata from thedata store will need to be reconciled and updated with the semanticmodel of the system as the data source is being added, updated orremoved.

Based on syntactic and semantic equivalence, the semantic mapping engine208 will match and map the schema to the current ontology. If syntacticand semantic equivalence mapping fails, the semantic mapping engine 208will run machine learning algorithms to classify new schema withexisting semantic model. If classification through machine learningalgorithms also fails, the semantic mapping engine 208 willautomatically create new concepts in the ontology for schema or metadataelements from the new data store that cannot be reconciled with theexisting ontology. For example, if data source has a field that has ametadata label MemberID, the semantic mapping engine 208 can reasonablyguess that this is probably the identity of a member which can be mappedback to the semantic model. If an administrator already tells thesemantic mapping engine 208 that MemberID represents the ID of a member,then a guess would not be necessary. Thus, in the absence of absolutecertainty based on an administrator, the semantic mapping engine 208performs semantic scanning of a semantic library to provide the bestmatch based on probability in order to determine what the data means.

In some embodiments, machine learning involves running Support VectorMachine (SVM) algorithm to build a linear classification model thatassigns new schema to one or more of the ontological concepts in thesemantic model. SVM algorithm does not work for any data that is notlabeled (e.g. metadata from unstructured data stores). In thosescenarios, semantic mapping engine 208 will use unsupervised machinelearning models to cluster incoming metadata and assign the data toappropriate ontological concepts in the semantic model.

Once schema or metadata is updated and reconciled with existing semanticmodel, the data from new data store will be ingested into thepersistence container 212. Depending on type of data (relational,columnar, unstructured, key-value or Geo-spatial), the persistencecontainer 212 will merge the new data with data store of similar type.The persistence container 212 knows where and how it stores data thatcorresponds to the different parts of the semantic model. Thus, thepersistence container 212 can take this data that has been classifiedbased on the semantic model and add it to the set of data it already hasassociated with the specific data class. The persistence container 212relates various data and stores them together physically. Thepersistence container 212 further merges semantic characteristics of thenew data it receives with the semantic characteristics of the data italready has. Therefore, the output of adding a data source is an updatedsemantic model and an updated data store.

In an embodiment, data and data sources can be updated in the smartcache 204 as described below. The low level system flow described belowmay correspond to steps 602, 604, and 606.

The update process is similar to the add process described above. Theinput is address of data source and schema/meta data for the datasource. The process logic involves ingest schema of data source as inthe Adding data source system flow. The system will extract schema ofobjects in the data store being ingested. Due to syntactic, structuraland representational heterogeneity of the schemas, the extracted schemafrom the data store will need to be reconciled and updated with thesemantic model of the system that was generated and updated constantlyas the data source is being added, updated or removed.

Based on syntactic and semantic equivalence, the semantic mapping engine208 will match and map the schema to the current ontology. If syntacticand semantic equivalence mapping fails, the semantic mapping engine 208will run machine learning algorithms to classify new schema withexisting semantic model. If classification through machine learningalgorithms fails, the semantic mapping engine 208 will automaticallycreate new concepts in the ontology for schema elements from the newdata store that cannot be reconciled with the existing ontology.

Once schema is updated and reconciled with existing semantic model, thesmart ingestion engine 206 will gather new data from the data store andingest into the persistence container 212. Depending on type of data(relational, columnar, unstructured, key-value or Geo-spatial), thepersistence container 212 will merge new data with data store of similartype. The output is updated semantic model and updated data store.

In an embodiment, data and data sources can be removed from the smartcache as described below. The low level system flow described below maycorrespond to steps 602, 604, and 606.

The input is address of data source and schema or meta-data for datasource. The process logic follows that the system will extract schema ormetadata of objects in the data store that have been removed. Thesemantic mapping engine 208 will automatically reconcile the concepts inthe ontology based on schema elements that have been removed. Once thesemantic model is updated, the smart ingestion engine 206 will removeappropriate data, corresponding to data that was removed from enterprisecontainer 202, from the persistence container 212. The output is anupdated semantic model and removed data from the persistence container212.

In one embodiment, removing data or data source involves invalidating ordeleting a particular record. The input to the smart cache 204 from theenterprise container 202 is the address or key to the record to beremoved. The smart cache 204 uses its metadata and sematic informationto determine which record is to be removed, where the record has beencached within the persistence container 212, and whether the record isin its raw source form or in any number of restructured forms. Theappropriate record and its restructured forms are then tagged as invalid(removing them from the view of consuming systems) or removed from cacheaccording to the rules for the subject area to which the record belongs.

In another embodiment, removing data or data source involves removing adata source when its contents are no longer considered valid for thesmart cache 204. The smart cache 204 receives updated metadataidentifying that a data source and all its content are no longer valid.In response to receiving the updated metadata, a process that scans thepersistence container 212 for records related to that data source andall derivations of those records and tags them as invalid or removesthem as per the rules for that subject area. The process would then scanthe metadata for that source and update it to remove visibility orawareness of that source from any processes or consuming applications.

In yet another embodiment, removing data or data source involvesdissociating a link to a data source while maintaining a book of recordimage of the existing data so that the cached data of the data source isstill considered valid. The smart cache 204 receives updated metadataidentifying that a data source is no longer actively providing data butthe existing data cached from the data source is still valid. Inresponse to receiving the updated metadata, a process that scans themetadata for that data source and updates it to identify that source asvalid but no longer active is triggered. The smart cache 204 refers tothe metadata adjusting its automated ingest processes to ignore thatdata source, but continue to allow consuming applications to use thedata that is already cached from that data source.

In an embodiment, services can be generated by the smart cache 204 asdescribed below. The low level system flow described below maycorrespond to step 608.

The input is trigger when a data source is added, updated or removed.The process logic follows that upon receiving the trigger when a datastore is added, updated or removed, the service generator 214 will usethe semantic model to intelligently generate data services that exposenot only key entities in a data store, but also semantically relatedentities in other data stores in the persistence container 212.

In other words, the service generator 214 takes the semantic model andasks the persistence container 212 for all the data associated with aspecific semantic entity. Afterwards, the service generator 214, with anoverview of all data associated with the specific semantic entity,generates an automated service entity that gives access to as much ofthe overview data that is relevant in the context of the semantic model.In some embodiments, the service generator 214 can generate theautomated service entity that gives access to data that has beendesignated by an administrator as relevant under the specific semanticentity. The service generated is stable as long as the underlyingsemantic model is stable and has not been changed by a subsequent dataingest process. A service is defined here as an integration point thatrepresents the contract of “if you give me data X, then I will give youdata Y.” The output of this flow is generated data services.

In some embodiments, after generating services, the services arepublished. When publishing data services, the input is the generateddata service. The system's process logic follows that service generator214 will hold a registry to store service definitions, interfaces,operations, and parameters for consumers to discover and to invoke aperforming of a required function. Whenever a data service isauto-generated, the service generator 214 will update the registry aboutnew services. In other words, services are not just generated but arealso catalogued so customers can look at what services the smart cache204 supports and write code to call whichever service is of interest.The output is published service interfaces.

In an embodiment, a service may be called by a consuming application asdescribed below. The low level system flow described below maycorrespond to step 610.

The input to the smart cache 204 may be an incoming request URL from arecipient system 216. The process logic follows that the servicegenerator 214 will use pre-generated data services to find a service toperform necessary functions and return results to the callingapplication in response to the URL. The output is the data that comesback from a service call.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a smart cache 712 being used in ahealthcare environment in accordance with some embodiments of thedisclosure. In FIG. 7, a user device 702 may be communicably coupled tocomputing infrastructure of a medical provider (medical provider systems704). The user device 702 may also be communicably coupled to computinginfrastructure of an insurance provider (insurance provider systems706). The user device 702 may be access one or both provider systemsthrough the internet. In some embodiments, user device 702 is notcommunicably coupled to the medical provider systems 704. User device702 may be an authorized user's smartphone, laptop computer, desktopcomputer, smart television, or any other computing device with aprocessor, memory, and networking capability.

Medical provider systems 704 is computing infrastructure associated witha healthcare provider. For example, the medical provider systems 704 maybe computing infrastructure at a hospital, a clinic, or a computingcloud based system if the healthcare provider outsources management ofits computing infrastructure. The medical provider systems 704 includesone or more computers, servers, databases, and other devices thatsupport the healthcare provider's ability to electronically maintainpatients' health records, clinical or medical data, claims data, andother information. In FIG. 7, medical provider systems 704 includes twodatabases, a claims data database 708 and a medical data database 710.Two databases are shown as an example, but one database can be used tohold both types of data.

Insurance provider systems 706 is computing infrastructure associatedwith an insurance provider for one or more patients being attended to ata healthcare facility associated with the medical provider systems 704.The insurance provider systems 706 obtains data from the medicalprovider systems 704. As an example, medical provider systems 704provides claims data 708 and medical data 710 to the insurance providersystems 706. The insurance provider systems 706 includes a smart cache712 according to some embodiments of the disclosure. The smart cache 712takes an internal structure similar to that of FIGS. 1 and 2, thushaving similar components.

Referring to the system in FIG. 7, for example, after Patient0 visits ahospital associated with medical provider systems 704, contents in theclaims data 708 and medical data 710 are updated. The updatedinformation is provided to smart cache 712, and the smart cache 712commences an ingest process for both the claims data 708 and medicaldata 710. An update of Patient0's information serves as the trigger forstep 602 in FIG. 6, the ingest process for both the claims data 708 andmedical data 710 describes step 604, and reconciling ingested data withcurrent semantics concepts in the smart cache 712 describes step 606.The data ingest and reconciling of the data ingest with currentsemantics concepts for claims data 708 and medical data 710 will bedescribed separately.

The smart cache 712 ingests claims data 708 and reconciles the claimsdata 708 with its current semantics concepts. The ingestion process willbe described with reference to smart cache components identified in FIG.2. Claims information may be sent to the smart cache 712 via a batchprocess. Claims data may be structured, pipe-delimited data to beprocessed by a claim adjudication system in insurance provider systems706. The semantic mapping engine 208 of the smart cache 712 scans andmaps data elements in claims data 708 against its current semanticsconcepts (or current ontological concepts). For example, claim recordsmay contain member identifier information, servicing providerinformation, condition and treatment codes, place of service, cost ofservice, and date of service among other details.

In this example, assume that Patient0 visited his physician, Doctor1, ather office for his diabetic conditions. He was diagnosed with adultonset of diabetes without complications (ICD-10 code: E11.9), and he wasasked to use a blood glucose monitoring device to monitor his insulinlevels. At step 606, the semantic mapping engine 208 establishesmetadata linkage of the claim record to the correct member (Patient0)and physician (Doctor1) and builds a semantic representation of theclaim and its associations and meanings according to ontologicalconcepts for a claim based on its current semantics concepts.Descriptive text fields are scanned for matches to relevant claimconcepts identified in the ontology. The semantic representation of theclaim is thus enhanced with this additional information.

The smart cache 712 ingests medical data 710 and reconciles the medicaldata 710 with its current semantics concepts. Clinical information inmedical data 710 may be sent to the smart cache 712. Clinicalinformation may be in a text format, for example, text in extensiblemarkup language (XML) format. The clinical information may includeclinical notes and observations, recommendations, and supportingevidence. The semantic mapping engine 208 of the smart cache 712 mapsdata elements in the medical data 710 against its current semanticsconcepts (or current ontological concepts). The semantic mapping engine208 establishes metadata linkage of the medical or clinical data to thecorrect member (Patient0) and physician (Doctor1) and builds a semanticrepresentation of the clinical event and its associations and meaningsaccording to the ontological concepts for a clinical encounter in itsexisting semantics concepts. In this example, a clinical encounter isthe “subject area” so the smart cache 712 determines meaning based onits model of this “subject area.” When new terms in clinical data areidentified by the semantic mapping engine 208, the new terms arecaptured and attached for further identification and association. Forexample, Doctor1 explains to Patient0 how often and when he should beusing the glucose monitor, and Doctor1 further makes some dietaryrecommendations to keep Patient0's blood sugar under control. Theseinstructions may be entered as notes and classified as clinicalinformation that may be ingested by the smart cache 712.

In an embodiment, user device 702 is a device accessible by Patient0.Patient0 uses an application running on the user device 702 to accesshis health information using a natural language search. In a naturallanguage search, a search is performed using regular spoken language.For example, Patient0 can ask a question or type in sentences thatdescribes information that he seeks, and this query or description issent as a request to the insurance provider systems 706. Step 610describes a computing device requesting data from the smart cache. Theinsurance provider systems 706 submits Patient0's request to the smartcache 712 where the semantic mapping engine 208 interprets the requestdata by mapping request terms to its existing ontological concepts anduses the semantic associations to find matching records. Step 608describes the smart cache's response to the request at step 610.

For example, if the request at step 610 is for information aboutPatient0's diabetes diagnosis and use of the glucose monitor, thesemantic mapping engine 208 determines that the request is about ahealth condition and clinical guidance about Patient0 and identifiesthis as sensitive information. The semantic mapping engine 208 theninvokes a call to a rules engine to determine if the requestor isauthorized to view Patient0's Protected Health Information. In thiscase, since Patient0 is the requestor and is authorized, the semanticmapping engine 208 identifies all records that relate to Patient0'sdiabetes and glucose monitor, which includes the claim record associatedto diabetes and the clinical record describing the use of the glucosemonitor.

The semantic mapping engine 208 along with the service generator 214then determine how to appropriately package a response to the requestor,i.e., Patient0. The semantic mapping engine 208 identifies responseformats for clinical condition information and for clinical guidanceusing its metadata library and invokes associated response messageconstruction functions. The ingested claim data is used to generateappropriate fields in a response for the clinical condition,supplemented with condition descriptions from the ontologicaldictionary. The semantic mapping engine 208 identifies one or moresentences from Patient0's electronic medical record (EMR), which wasingested as medical data, that describes usage of the glucose monitorusing the semantic understanding of the text. The one or more sentencesare used to generate a response for the clinical guidance. The semanticmapping engine 208 adds other required information such as the doctorwho made the recommendation and other supporting information as definedby the response metadata and semantic rules for that response type, suchas, appropriate healthy actions in terms of diet and physical exercisethat that were prescribed to the member. The service generator 214provides these generated responses as reply to Patient0's query.

In the foregoing example, the smart cache 712 not only holds data fordelivery, but also holds rich metadata with multiple associationslearned from data gathered from interactions with medical providers,members, and validated third party sources. The smart cache 712 enablesa member or an approved third party to make natural language queries oningested data, and the smart cache 712 provides various forms of answersto questions the member or approved third party may have.

Embodiments of the disclosure provide a system and a method for creatingand maintaining a smart cache with: (a) The ability to automaticallyingest and semantically categorize existing diverse data sources; (b)Automated structuring, organization and optimization of the ingesteddata, based on semantic understanding of same or similar data elements;and (c) Automated generation of scalable service endpoints (or generatedservices) which are semantically consistent. Semantic consistency isaccomplished because the generated services are based on the semanticmodel and are thus consistent with the semantic model. In some aspects,the generated endpoints are stable as long as the ingested sourcesremain semantically stable. In other aspects, the automation algorithmsare continuously optimized using machine learning techniques.

Embodiments of the disclosure provide a method by which to automaticallyingest diverse data sources and intelligently render the compositeresult as a set of defined, stable and scalable serviceendpoints—without requiring changes in the original data sources.

Embodiments of the disclosure may provide an internal advantage to anorganization in the way the integration of software systems and datasources across a hybrid ecosystem is achieved. For example, softwareofferings for members or 3^(rd) parties may be based on some embodimentsof the disclosure. This would enable smart disintermediation betweendata sources and data consumers, loosely coupled and scalable—supportfor multi-speed IT with easy harnessing/leverage of existing data.Therefore, embodiments of the disclosure provide intelligent mechanismto generate interfaces or data services that work with multitude of datasources and provide semantic linkage for delivering contextual resultsto consuming applications.

All references, including publications, patent applications, andpatents, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the sameextent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicatedto be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entiretyherein.

The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and “at least one” andsimilar referents in the context of describing the invention (especiallyin the context of the following claims) are to be construed to coverboth the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein orclearly contradicted by context. The use of the term “at least one”followed by a list of one or more items (for example, “at least one of Aand B”) is to be construed to mean one item selected from the listeditems (A or B) or any combination of two or more of the listed items (Aand B), unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted bycontext. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing”are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, butnot limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. Recitation of ranges of valuesherein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referringindividually to each separate value falling within the range, unlessotherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated intothe specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methodsdescribed herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwiseindicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The useof any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”)provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the inventionand does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unlessotherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construedas indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice ofthe invention.

Preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein, includingthe best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention.Variations of those preferred embodiments may become apparent to thoseof ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. Theinventors expect skilled artisans to employ such variations asappropriate, and the inventors intend for the invention to be practicedotherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, thisinvention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subjectmatter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicablelaw. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in allpossible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unlessotherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.

1. A method of integrating data across multiple data stores in a smartcache in order to provide data to one or more recipient systems, themethod comprising: automatically ingesting diverse data from a pluralityof data sources; automatically reconciling the ingested diverse data byupdating semantic models based on the ingested diverse data; storing theingested diverse data based on one or more classification of the datasources according to the semantic models; automatically generatingscalable service endpoints which are semantically consistent accordingto the classification of the data sources; and responding to a call fromthe one or more recipient systems by providing data in theclassification of the data sources.
 2. The method according to claim 1,wherein the generated scalable service endpoints are stable as long asthe ingested diverse data sources remain semantically stable.
 3. Themethod according to claim 1, further comprising: automaticallyreconciling the ingested diverse data by structuring the ingesteddiverse data, wherein the structuring comprises realigning andreformatting data elements in the ingested diverse data into astandardized representation based on the semantic models.
 4. The methodaccording to claim 3, further comprising: automatically reconciling theingested diverse data by organizing the ingested diverse data, whereinthe organizing comprises aligning the ingested diverse data to multiplestructures within the semantic models.
 5. The method according to claim4, further comprising: automatically optimizing the ingested diversedata by monitoring usage of the ingested diverse data and caching newrepresentations of the ingested diverse data as needed to improveperformance.
 6. The method according to claim 5, wherein theautomatically structuring, the automatically organizing, and theautomatically optimizing are continuously optimized using machinelearning techniques.
 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein theclassification of the data sources includes relational data,unstructured data, columnar data, geo-spatial data, and key-value store.8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: publishing thegenerated scalable service endpoints by updating a registry containingservice definitions, interfaces, operations, and parameters.
 9. Themethod according to claim 1, further comprising: determining a change inat least one data source.
 10. The method according to claim 9, whereinthe change is a removal of data in the at least one data source.
 11. Anon-transitory computer readable medium for integrating data acrossmultiple data stores in a smart cache in order to provide data to one ormore recipient systems, the non-transitory computer readable mediumcontaining program instructions for causing a server to perform themethod comprising: automatically ingesting diverse data from a pluralityof data sources; automatically reconciling the ingested diverse data byupdating semantic models based on the ingested diverse data; storing theingested diverse data based on one or more classification of the datasources according to the semantic models; automatically generatingscalable service endpoints which are semantically consistent accordingto the classification of the data sources; and responding to a call fromthe one or more recipient systems by providing data in theclassification of the data sources.
 12. The non-transitory computerreadable medium according to claim 11, wherein the generated scalableservice endpoints are stable as long as the ingested diverse datasources remain semantically stable.
 13. The non-transitory computerreadable medium according to claim 11, wherein the server furtherperforms the method comprising: automatically reconciling the ingesteddiverse data by structuring the ingested diverse data, wherein thestructuring comprises realigning and reformatting data elements in theingested diverse data into a standardized representation based on thesemantic models.
 14. The non-transitory computer readable mediumaccording to claim 13, wherein the server further performs the methodcomprising: automatically reconciling the ingested diverse data byorganizing the ingested diverse data, wherein the organizing comprisesaligning the ingested diverse data to multiple structures within thesemantic models.
 15. The non-transitory computer readable mediumaccording to claim 14, wherein the server further performs the methodcomprising: automatically optimizing the ingested diverse data bymonitoring usage of the ingested diverse data and caching newrepresentations of the ingested diverse data as needed to improveperformance.
 16. The non-transitory computer readable medium accordingto claim 15, wherein the automatically structuring, the automaticallyorganizing, and the automatically optimizing are continuously optimizedusing machine learning techniques.
 17. The non-transitory computerreadable medium according to claim 11, wherein the classification of thedata sources includes relational data, unstructured data, columnar data,geo-spatial data, and key-value store.
 18. The non-transitory computerreadable medium according to claim 11, wherein the server furtherperforms the method comprising: publishing the generated scalableservice endpoints by updating a registry containing service definitions,interfaces, operations, and parameters.
 19. The non-transitory computerreadable medium according to claim 11, wherein the server furtherperforms the method comprising: determining a change in at least onedata source.
 20. A system for integrating data across multiple datastores in a smart cache in order to provide data to one or morerecipient systems, the system comprising: one or more databases storingsemantic models and machine learning algorithms; and one or more serversconfigured to: automatically ingest diverse data from a plurality ofdata sources; automatically reconcile the ingested diverse data byperforming one or more of: updating semantic models based on theingested diverse data, structuring the ingested diverse data, whereinthe structuring comprises realigning and reformatting data elements inthe ingested diverse data into a standardized representation based onthe semantic models, and organizing the ingested diverse data, whereinthe organizing comprises aligning the ingested diverse data to multiplestructures within the semantic models; store the ingested diverse databased on one or more classification of the data sources according to thesemantic models; automatically generate scalable service endpoints whichare semantically consistent according to the classification of the datasources; and respond to a call from the one or more recipient systems byproviding data in the classification of the data sources.